


The Resurrection of Tommy Merlyn

by Anonanonanonana



Series: Darkh Days [2]
Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: Canon Compliant, F/M, H.I.V.E., season 4 spec, seasons 1-3
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-14
Updated: 2015-09-23
Packaged: 2018-04-09 06:33:57
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 17
Words: 18,356
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4337627
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Anonanonanonana/pseuds/Anonanonanonana
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>How Malcolm and Felicity's sister decided to take down HIVE. Continuation of Samantha Darkh, with back story on how Tommy Merlyn was resurrected after the Undertaking.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Death and destruction

**Author's Note:**

> This starts the night of the Undertaking. Timeline notes in this chapter are in relation to that night.

Malcolm had said he had been planning something big, but Samantha didn’t realize he meant the devastation of the Glades. When he had cancelled the follow-up meeting she had taken months to agree to earlier that day she knew he was up to something. It was just like him to ensure she was in Starling for this. Samantha hadn’t agreed to help him, but he had told her everything she needed to know if she decided to do it anyway.

After Moira Queen’s press conference, when the sounds of fear filled the air, Samantha told herself she’d just check on her sister and then head back to HIVE. But when she saw Oliver’s defeated green-clad form making his way back to his club to check on his partners despite the death around him, and then her sister’s persistent grasp on his forearm as he ensured she made it into her townhouse, Samantha resolved herself that maybe Malcolm’s crazy talk over the years had some redeemable aspects. It had finally illuminated the nagging guilt in the back of Samantha’s mind – her father can’t have Oliver Queen. So she made her way to the address Malcolm had texted her that morning “just in case”.

In the dim light of dawn, as smoke and soot hung over the Glades, Samantha made her way into the Starling City morgue using the fake credentials he had left in the safehouse and found Malcolm Merlyn’s body, the menace of his League gear still intact. The morgue was busier than it should have been, but with more than 500 bodies on their way in, it was only going to get worse. At least it would make the change in paperwork more believable – of course Merlyn would have plans in place to have his body handled by personal morticians. The coroner would never question the disappearance. What Samantha wasn’t expecting to find was a second Merlyn.

Tommy had been pulled from CNRI, one of the first casualties to be reported since the building lay on the street dividing the quake zone. “So young,” Samantha said out loud to no one. She sighed. “No wonder Oliver looked defeated.” She glanced between the two men, contemplating her options. It would be more believable if they were both gone, and maybe he could be saved as well.

* * *

6 months earlier

“The vigilante is going to be a problem for me,” Malcolm Merlyn stated matter of factly, his hands together behind his back and his stance relaxed.

Samantha scoffed, “And that’s my problem why?”

Merlyn smirked, his eyes drifted over her body, making her uncomfortable. She flinched before she could stop herself, turning his smirk into a grin. “Because we have a common goal.”

Samantha waited for him to elaborate, but he didn’t. She cleared her throat, “Which is what, exactly?”

“Your father’s demise.”

Samantha couldn’t help but laugh. Accepting the cryptic text message inviting her to this meeting had been one thing, but his outright statement of treason against HIVE would get her killed. If this was a test her father had laid out, she wasn’t about to fail.

Samantha turned towards the door to leave, dismissing whatever offer Merlyn was laying out for her, “I don’t know why you think I’d help with that.”

As she reached the exit his voice echoed through the warehouse, “I know he’s unaware that you’re here watching Miss Smoak. He thinks you’re inventorying Oliver Queen’s assets.”

Samantha spared him a side glance. His stance hadn’t changed, but his face was set and stoic. At her perusal he let his hands swing to his front and took a few steps towards her.

“Make no mistake Miss Darkh, I will use your sister against you if I have to.”

Samantha closed her eyes and took a deep breath before responding, “What do you want from me?”

Merlyn smiled, “I need help with my undertaking, help keeping the Hood out of my way.”

Samantha opened her eyes and turned towards him, “And how am I supposed to do that?”

“Find out who he is.”

Samantha didn’t flinch but her mind reeled. She already knew who he was – Oliver Queen. The Oliver she was trying to prevent HIVE from taking in too soon, if at all. The Oliver she had once promised to her father. The Oliver who had visited her sister more than once for ‘tech help’ and who was likely considering bringing her into his fledgling vigilante team. The Oliver she had helped in Russia. The Oliver who had finally gotten back some semblance of a life and she swore she wasn’t going to fail again, at least not so easily or so soon.

She shook her head and answered Merlyn’s raised eyebrow, “What’s in it for me?”

Merlyn answered with a Cheshire grin, “We can negotiate that.”


	2. Healing water

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This occurs the night of/early morning after the undertaking - all time references are in relation to that.

Over the week of nightly meetings 6 months ago Merlyn had laid out his plan for surviving if the Hood got the better of him. Water from Nanda Parbat stored in one of Merlyn Global’s warehouses, hidden among the purchases of subsidiaries and shell corporations. When Samantha had failed to provide the identity of the Hood, he had stopped providing her information on his plan against her father. But she knew enough, at least enough about how to save him, which had probably been his plan all along.

She eased the two bodies out of the Coroner’s van she ‘borrowed’ and locked up the warehouse behind her as he had advised. She found everything Merlyn had said she would and started the ritual as laid out in the book he left her at the safehouse. She was only doing this because her father had decided that he not only wanted Oliver, but that it was time to bring Felicity in, too. Samantha could not let her sister down. Merlyn was her key to taking down HIVE, come hell or high water. Unfortunately, using Lazarus Pit magic was going to bring her both a lot sooner than she thought.

Samantha squinted, hoping to see what was happening under the churning water of the manmade pit. It was quiet, and surely taking too long. “Maybe Malcolm isn’t coming back after all”, she thought. Then the water stopped and Samantha only had a moment to register the form hurtling towards her out of it. Merlyn’s face raged as the force of his exit from the water forced her to the ground, “You knew who he was all along, didn’t you?”

Samantha struggled against him, his body pinning her to the ground but not hurting her. “Of course I did,” she huffed, exhausted from her efforts. “Did that water give you super human strength, too?” She struggled again. “Get off me, Merlyn!” she growled, clawing at his hands.

His distinctive smirk spread across his face, one hand moving to grasp her jaw so he could look her in the eye. His face was close enough for her to feel his breath as he spoke. “You helped me.”

Samantha stilled, unable to break his gaze. “I need your help.”

Merlyn’s dark chuckle echoed in the room. “And why would I do that now that I already have what I wanted from you?”

Samantha tried to tilt her head towards Tommy’s body on the ground near the door as she responded, “Because I’m going to save him, too.”

Merlyn’s grip loosened as he finally noticed his son’s body. His expression dropped in shock before pulling his lips into a full smile. “I knew _you_ were the right one.” He grabbed Samantha’s face harder than before and pressed a quick, cold hard kiss to her lips. As he yanked his head away he laughed at the surprised look on her face. “Don’t worry, my dear. I’ll let you in on the plan soon enough.” He stroked her cheek with the back of his free hand, still gripping her jaw tightly. “With us working together your father _will_ lose.”

Merlyn dropped Samantha’s stunned face as he stood upright, heading towards his son to prepare his resurrection.


	3. Watchful eye

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter mostly takes place a week after the Undertaking.

It had been a rough night, and just a few hours after a manmade earthquake sunk half the Glades, Felicity found herself wrapped in a blanket on her couch staring blankly at the television. News report after news report citing devastation that could have been so much worse. Diggle was recovering from his injuries in the fight against Malcolm Merlyn and Oliver was as closed off as ever. The drive to Felicity’s townhouse had been filled with silence, and he hadn’t taken her up on her invitation to use her couch for the remainder of the night.

A week later she found herself once again unable to sleep, staring at the television. Diggle had been by earlier to talk, and Oliver, well, Oliver was gone. Brooding somewhere over losing Tommy, whose death had been all over the news the past few days. Felicity’s phone rang, the heavy weight of her arms reminding her just how exhausted she still was as she reached for it. She didn’t recognize the number and almost sent it to voicemail, but given the week she had just had, she hoped it was her sister.

“Hello?” Felicity answered tentatively.

“Are you okay, Lissy?” Samantha’s controlled voice came through the device.

Felicity sighed, “Yeah, yeah. I’m okay. I’m so glad this was you.” The silence that followed was uncharacteristic of her sister, who usually called with a purpose and hung up as quickly as possible. Felicity’s brow furrowed. “What’s wrong, Sammy?”

Samantha sighed, rubbing her free hand over her face as she glanced over at Tommy Merlyn chained to the wall of Malcolm Merlyn’s warehouse. His resurrection had not been as smooth as Malcolm’s, and though his lucidity was gradually returning, he was strong and dangerous. She attempted to smile, hoping it would carry through on her voice, “Nothing, I heard about the earthquake and wanted to check in. You work for the Queens, right?” Of course Samantha already knew the answer to that question, but Felicity didn’t know she had been watching her, so the semblance of not knowing certain things was important.

“Yeah, I work at QC.” Felicity paused to decide if she wanted to go forward with confiding in her sister. But then she thought ‘screw it, if I can’t talk to her then who can I talk to’ and continued, “And sometimes at Oliver Queen’s club.”

Samantha cleared her throat, knowing the next question would be expected though it made her almost laugh to ask it, “Wow, you know Oliver Queen?”

Felicity huffed out a laugh and smiled, “Yeah, we’re sort of friends.”

Samantha bit her lip as she continued on the string of expected questions, “I heard about his friend, did you know him, too?”

Felicity sighed, “Not really, but Oliver’s taking it really hard. He left town and I’m not sure if he’s coming back.”

This took Samantha by surprise. She had been so busy with the Merlyn resurrection fallout and keeping an eye on Felicity that she hadn’t been able to catch up with Oliver’s whereabouts, assuming he’d be where Felicity or John Diggle were. This could complicate things. Her father would want her to track Oliver down, which meant leaving Starling, or bring Felicity in, and neither of those were things she wanted to do. But she filed this away for after the phone call and turned her focus back to her sister. “Have you called your Mom? I know how it gets when she sees something on the news.”

Felicity huffed another laugh, “Yeah, I called her a couple days after and she hadn’t heard about it yet. So I scored a few points with her not having to track me down to get the information.”

Samantha let a genuine smile grace her face. “You can never get too many points when it comes to Donna Smoak.”

Tommy began to stir, moving the chains and groaning. Samantha kept one eye on him as she used a hand to muffle the mouthpiece of the phone. “I’m glad you’re okay, Lissy. I have to go now, but I’ll check in again soon. Remember to use the number I gave you if you need me.”

Felicity sighed, “I’m really glad you called, Sammy. Thank you.”

“I’ll always keep an eye on you,” Samantha said quickly before she ended the call. She put her phone back in her knapsack by the table in the corner of the warehouse and then made her way over to Tommy.

“Why are you always here when I wake up?” His voice was low and raspy.

Samantha grabbed a bottle of water from the supplies just out of his reach and opened it before holding it up to his mouth. His eyes looked up at her, glassy and dark.

“I’m making sure you get through this.” She tipped the bottle slightly as he drank.

A slight smirk highlighted his dirty face as she backed away. “Why?”

Samantha smiled at the innocent question, knowing just how far they had come to get to this point. “Because I made a deal with your father.” When Tommy’s face fell she decided to continue, “A deal to protect my sister and Oliver Queen.”

Tommy looked up at her quickly, surprised. “Oliver?”

Samantha nodded and knelt down in front of the young man, “You remember him, right?”

Tommy tilted his head, “I don’t know. But I feel like I should.”

Samantha sighed, “I’m so sorry, Tommy. I didn’t know it would be like this.”

“You’re not getting soft on my son are you, Samantha?” Malcolm’s voice rang through the warehouse, making both of them cringe. Their eyes met in a mutual understanding of their distrust for the other man.

Samantha stood and turned towards him, watching him walk towards her before responding, “It wouldn’t be any of your business if I was.” She let one corner of her mouth curl up, making the back and forth with Malcolm into a game to keep it from eating at her.

Malcolm stopped a few feet from her and smirked. “Actually it would be. Since I’ll be your husband when this is all over with.”

Samantha’s half smile dropped, the stunned surprise on her face evident. “What the hell are you talking about, Merlyn?”

She took a step back as he took a step towards her, not even registering that she was getting closer to a still unpredictable Tommy.

Malcolm’s face turned up into an all out grin. “Careful, Miss Darkh. You don’t want to step back too far.”

Samantha turned to take in Tommy behind her, his eyes glazed over again as he watched his father come closer. As she turned back she found that Malcolm had come close enough to touch her, though he kept his hands at his sides.

“Malcolm?” She stuttered, fear taking hold even as she fought it.

Merlyn shook his head, the grin never wavering. “We’re going to rule the world.”


	4. Seeds of doubt

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is set just after season 1.

Oliver leaving Starling was not something Samantha could keep from her father. And there was only so much longer that Felicity’s presence could be hidden, if he didn’t know already. Lying too much would alert him to her hesitation, and that would make everything she’s gone through with Malcolm and Tommy worthless. She spent a couple of days after her phone call with Felicity processing what to do. Tommy was slowly becoming more coherent, his eyes watching her whenever possible but respecting the silence unless Malcolm was in the room. Taunting his father seemed to be soothing for the young Merlyn. The Magician still had not elaborated on his plan - all he would give her in reply to questions was a grin - and that made her decisions regarding her father more doubtful.

Samantha tried locating Oliver, so she would have something to give her father without compromising him, but she came up empty-handed. As the week went by she knew she couldn’t postpone it any longer. She looked up from the computer table she had setup in the corner to work on her searches while maintaining a watch on Tommy and saw him watching her. His gaze was clear, his breath even. She cleared her throat and wiped her hands on her pants before standing and walking towards him.

As she knelt in front of him she opened a bottle of water and helped him drink. All the while his eyes remained focused on hers.

After setting the water aside she sighed, gathering her thoughts. “Tommy, I have to leave for a little while.”

He tilted his head, questioning.

“I don’t know if Malcolm will let me leave so I’m just going to go,” she continued, “but I’ll be back soon.”

Tommy sighed but nodded slightly, letting her know he’d heard. As she stood he rattled his hands in the chains. When she furrowed her brows one side of his lips curled up.

“Can you loosen this a bit first?”

Samantha shook her head. “If you get out, Malcolm won’t hesitate to kill me.”

Tommy frowned. “I know. Out of anyone I understand how ruthless he is. I won’t run. I just want to be more comfortable.”

Samantha looked around, making sure they were still alone. “Alright, but at least find me and warn me if you do make a break for it so I know not to come back here.”

Tommy huffed out a laugh as she gave his arms some slack. He groaned as he rubbed his wrists.

“Thank you.” He grabbed her hand and squeezed. “For everything.”

Samantha squeezed his hand back and looked him in the eye. “You may not say that later.”

Tommy dropped her hand and scooted back against the wall, adjusting his legs with a grimace. “If you save good people in the process, making a deal with the devil may not be so bad.”

Samantha shook her head and stood, making her way back to the door without looking back.

When she made it to the HIVE safehouse it didn’t surprise her to find that they had been looking for her. The security system showed that the most recent visitor had been 2 days ago. Good, they had probably moved on. She found the emergency phone stashed in the false wall and paused to clear her mind before dialing her father’s direct number. He picked up on the second ring.

“Yes?”

“It’s Samantha.”

“Where are you?” He almost hissed the question.

‘Shit,’ Samantha thought, ‘he thinks something’s up. Better get right to the point.’ “I’m in Starling City still. Oliver Queen’s gone missing.”

“And?” Damien Darkh was not a patient man, and she knew the clipped sentence was going to upset him, but she had to make him think the exasperation was the extent of the issues he had with her.

“I can’t find any trace of him. Also…”

“Also what?” He barked out. Anyone listening in would never imagine it was his daughter on the other end of the call.

“Felicity lives here in Starling now. She was with Oliver Queen before he disappeared.”

“Did she disappear, too?” He sounded excited, causing Samantha to question if this had been the right tactic to take.

“No. As far as I can tell she’s still here and working at Queen Consolidated.” ‘Come on, come on, bite,’ Samantha thought to herself. Her father was a genius, he should be connecting the dots by now.

“She can help bring in Oliver Queen. Stay in Starling, keep an eye out for his return and any skills she may have to make it worth bringing them both in.”

This was not what Samantha was expecting. “Both?”

“Yes, it’s moving up my timeline for her a bit, but if she’s hanging out with a vigilante and not making the tabloids she must have better skills than you.” He sounded amused with his assessment.

Samantha was speechless and uncertain. This outcome had not been her intention with providing him the information. “I thought our deal was that you’d leave her out of this?”

Damien Darkh laughed, the sound grating down his daughter’s spine and making her skin feel cold. “Our deal is moot. And don’t forget that I would happily bring in Donna, too, if you try to stand between me and my daughter.”

Samantha felt the resolve stinging in the back of her eyes. “I’m your daughter, too.”

“You’re weak. Now prove me otherwise,” he scoffed before ending the call.

Samantha gathered some supplies from the safehouse and slowly made her way back to the warehouse. She no longer cared if Malcolm knew she had left. When she entered she found him crouched in front of Tommy, lecturing him on strength and purpose. As she entered Malcolm turned his head, raising an eyebrow at her. Samantha ignored him and went to the knapsack she left on the computer table to get out her phone. She needed to call Donna and make sure she was still okay.

After her short phone call and the final, “Don’t be a stranger, Sammy dear.” She turned towards the Merlyns. Tommy still chained and Malcolm on his haunches, both watching her but with completely different looks on their faces.

Samantha walked towards them, spreading her hands in front of her. “So what do we do next?”

Malcolm stood and walked towards her, “I thought maybe you changed your mind.”

Samantha shook her head. “No, I had to check in with HIVE to keep them off my back. Though it helps that my father made it perfectly clear that being here is absolutely where I should be.”

“You have a father of the year candidate for a dad, too, huh?” Tommy added from behind Malcolm, who grimaced.

Samantha smiled and shook her head, sobering as she turned her attention to Malcolm. “We should probably consider unchaining him. He hasn’t had an episode in a couple of days.”

Malcolm nodded and handed her the key. She took it but didn’t move. “Anything else, Miss Darkh?”

Samantha sighed, if she was going to do this she had to be all in. “Oliver Queen left Starling last week, and Damien wants to bring my sister into HIVE when he returns.”

Malcolm smiled, “I know how to distract him from that.”


	5. Behind the scenes

Samantha knew Slade Wilson was trouble the moment she met him. Malcolm claimed he was the key to diverting HIVE’s attention from bringing in Oliver or Felicity, but it was only as the events of the months that followed played out that she realized just how out of control the entire situation had become. She just wanted to protect her sister, and maybe clear some of the guilt she carried, but Malcolm set up the chess board and just watched the pieces fall into place, playing against one another as he played god, always assuming he knew the outcome would be as he expected. This backfired when Ra’s nearly killed Oliver on the mountaintop, but that was so far into the long con Merlyn had setup that he said there were bound to be hurdles and that’s why contingencies exist. Each duck and dodge from the undertaking to Malcolm becoming Ra’s left Samantha feeling like her grip was slipping more and more. Each time wondering why she continued to trust this devil of a man, and each time coming to the conclusion that she really had no choice.

After Malcolm’s assertion that he could distract Damien he allowed small bits of information out about his plan as he trained Tommy in self-defense and stealth, but not anything tangible that Samantha could fit together in her mind. The younger Merlyn was kept confined when not in his father’s presence, to ensure he wouldn’t run and alert anyone to the fact that he was alive. Samantha did what she could to bring him news about Laurel Lance, to ease his mind and minimize the chance that he was plotting an escape. Keeping Tommy calm also seemed to be her way into Malcolm’s good graces. And when Felicity left Starling only to return with Oliver, Samantha hoped that she had proven herself enough to be let in on the bigger picture.

The news out of Queen Consolidated about the new CEO and battle with Stellmoor meant that Damien was going to make the request Samantha had been dreading. The day after the news broke she procrastinated leaving the warehouse for the HIVE safehouse to make the call to her father. This was the culmination of the promise she made in Russia. This was the source of the guilt that forced her to join forces with the Magician. She felt anything but ready.

* * *

 

**_A little over 2 years before the undertaking - Russia_ **

After bypassing her father to get the hit on Anatoly called off Samantha needed a way back into the fold, and there was nothing stopping her from bringing Oliver into HIVE except her own conscience, and her spite for the position her father put her in. She spent time thinking through the options. Oliver felt ready to return home to Starling, but he needed a way to do it without drawing attention to where he’d spent his time. Samantha started planting the seeds of doubt in Damien’s mind, playing up Oliver’s weaknesses in her almost daily phone calls.

“He’s still not ready, he’ll be a liability if he’s brought in now.” Samantha clipped out over the phone, hoping to sound neutral.

“He’s an asset and I said to bring him in.” Damien was losing his patience. His daughter once again failing to comply.

Samantha bit back a sigh and clenched her teeth as she responded, “What training facility should I bring him to?”

Her father sighed, “Why would you do that? Just bring him with you to the main facility!”

“That’s what I’m telling you, he needs to be trained! He was only let go from ARGUS because a move was made against Waller. He proved to be useless to her, not once gaining any usable information for them and not succeeding in a single mission. I’ve sparred with him, he’s weak and a liability!”

The silence told her that she had hit something. “What do you suggest,” her father asked calmly.

Samantha gathered her thoughts before responding. This had to be approached the right way or it would all blow up in her face. “The island. He learned most of what he knows there fighting mercenaries. If he spends more time there, we can drop in training groups of friendlies and foes. He’ll never have to know it’s HIVE until we’re ready for him to.”

“This is yours. Keep me appraised,” her father clipped out before ending the call.

Samantha grimaced as she made her way back to Anatoly’s house, she had just promised her father Oliver Queen. She found Oliver working out as usual. She leaned against a doorframe, mentally critiquing his form as she waited for him to notice her. After a few minutes she figured one free lesson couldn’t hurt.

“You should be more aware of your surroundings,” she said after clearing her throat and making him drop the weights he was working with. “It would have been very easy for me to kill you at any point in the last 5 minutes.”

Oliver shook his head, rubbing the shoulder of the arm he had been working with the weight. “I’m not in any danger here.”

Samantha sighed. “You’re always in danger, Oliver. You have to treat every moment as the one when they’ll finally get you.”

“They who?” He furrowed his brow.

Samantha caught his gaze and held it. “Everyone.”

He rolled his eyes and turned away from her. “What did you want anyway?”

Still standing against the doorframe Samantha crossed her arms across her chest. “I found a way to get you home.”

Oliver shook his head again. “ARGUS won’t want people to know I made it off the island.”

Samantha smiled. “That’s why you’ll go back to the island.”

Oliver turned towards her quickly. “What are you talking about?”

She took a few steps towards him, her hands out in a gesture of placation. “You go to the island and then a fishing vessel finds you. You say you’ve been there, alone, this whole time. Boom, no questions that ARGUS or the Bratva can kill over.”

He glanced around the room before meeting her gaze again. “What if there are more mercenaries?”

Samantha sighed. “Yeah, I’ll have to give you some pointers before you go huh.” And she’d have to make sure whatever groups she sent from HIVE were more friendly than anything, she thought to herself. Little did she know that her father would intercept the distress calls she sent from the island, and it would take a year for a boat to finally find him and get him home. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter - what did Malcolm have to do with Slade?


	6. Snake in the grass

Malcolm was waiting for Samantha outside the warehouse when she finally got up the courage to head to the HIVE safehouse to contact her father about Oliver's return, again, from Lian Yu. She slowed her steps but didn’t stop walking, waiting for him to make a move. He stood solidly, his hands behind his back. He turned his head to watch her as she made to walk past him, one corner of his lips slowly lifting.

“You don’t trust me, do you?”

Samantha stopped, still staring straight ahead though Malcolm was now technically behind her.

“Should I?” She responded.

“No.”

She turned her head quickly at his answer, tensing her body in a defensive stance, but he hadn’t moved.

He laughed and looked back towards the warehouse. “It’s smart to trust no one but yourself.”

Samantha sighed, not in the mood for the Magician’s riddles and half-truths. She took a couple steps but stopped when his voice cut through the alleyway again.

“You’ll need to know the plan before you decide what to tell Damien.”

She screwed her eyes shut before responding. “Are you going to finally tell me?”

“Yes.”

Samantha threw her head back and sighed, turning towards him. “No games, Merlyn. Just tell me and let me get this phone call over with before I make another bad decision.”

He turned towards her, grinning. “A man from Oliver’s past is coming to Starling City to finish something that started on Lian Yu 5 years ago. How Oliver handles this man could tell your father a lot about what kind of asset Oliver Queen will be. What he loses, what he goes through to win, will be training he can’t get anywhere else. His family will be in danger. His city will be in danger. He will become a darker man and a greater asset.”

Samantha shook her head. “You had that all scripted out for me, didn’t you?”

Malcolm shrugged.

“Is any of it true?”

“Yes. His name is Slade Wilson. You can meet him if Damien thinks that’s important.”

Samantha pinched the bridge of her nose. “If Oliver beats this Wilson guy, then I still have to bring him in. And this doesn’t address my sister.”

Malcolm walked towards the brunette and placed his hand on her shoulder. “I haven’t told you the rest of it yet. But I promise, when this is over with, HIVE will either be gone or yours to do with as you please.”

Samantha scoffed. “And what do you get out of this?”

Malcolm removed his hand to put his arm around her shoulders and tugged her to keep walking towards the end of the alleyway where she had originally been headed. “The League of Assassins.”

Samantha stopped, jarring the man next to her. “You’re after Ra’s al Ghul.”

Malcolm caught her gaze and nodded.

“Why help me?”

He sighed and gripped her shoulders tighter, pulling her face closer to his. “Because I can’t do this alone, though that is difficult for me to admit. And there’s something about you Miss Darkh. Something I never thought I’d be close to again.”

Something about the conversation caused Samantha’s spine to tingle, she couldn’t put her finger on it. She should’ve been on edge, uncomfortable, but their conspiratorial position seemed almost natural. She closed her eyes and sighed to clear her head. Leaning closer to Malcolm she spoke low, “I should meet this Wilson before I speak to my father. I need to sell this well.”

Malcolm brushed her cheek with his mouth as he spoke near her ear, “That can be arranged.”

He released his hold on her and walked back towards the warehouse, turning as he made it to the doorway. “Are you coming in so I can tell you the rest and make the meeting arrangements?”

Samantha nodded and followed him in.

Two days later she stood beside Malcolm at the Ferris airstrip, awaiting Slade Wilson’s plane. As the large Australian with an eye patch disembarked, Samantha felt a cold ripple of apprehension down her spine.

That chill returned the next day when she called her father and told him that the move on Oliver should be postponed yet again. He had another training exercise ahead of him. Damien was unhappy with this news and Samantha had to offer him something.

“This will be an exercise for Felicity as well.”

Her father sighed, tiring of the stall tactics. “How so?”

“She works very closely with both Oliver Queen and his vigilante persona. If he’s going up against this Wilson, then Felicity will be going up against him as well. We can see her skills in a real world exercise, assess her weaknesses and strengths. Wilson’s demonstration, it was more powerful than anything I’ve ever seen, and he’s tech savvy as well. This would be the ultimate test, as well as removing the super soldiers from our potential threats list.”

This seemed to strike something in him. “Very well then. Keep me apprised of their progress. If things with Wilson seem to be going unfavorably, don’t hesitate to step in. I want them both alive, Samantha.”

After ending the call Samantha whispered into the emptiness around her, “I hope you both forgive me for this.”


	7. Doubts

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We fast forward a bit into season 2's timeline.

“I just don’t understand what’s taking him so long to do whatever it is he’s going to do.” Samantha was at her wit’s end. It had been months and Slade Wilson had yet to let his presence in Starling be known. He was pushing a conflict between Oliver and the politician Blood for a reason even Malcolm Merlyn seemed to be hazy about, or maybe it was the distraction of Moira Queen’s trial and revelation that Thea was his daughter. Their entire trio had been on edge – Laurel’s drug problems and Sara Lance’s return making Tommy’s recent progress backslide and the ability of a weasel drug dealer getting the drop on Felicity, only for Oliver to kill him, had Samantha ready for this all to be over with.

Merlyn dropped his stance, lowering the sword in his hand. “He’s building an army, and that takes time.”

Samantha sighed. “And I ask again, are you sure this was a good idea? An army against Oliver Queen?”

Malcolm shrugged. “And his friends.”

“Which includes the sister I’m trying to protect,” Samantha shouted at him, throwing her own sword to the ground before stomping away from him.

Tommy stepped forward, picking up the thread of the argument, ‘siding with Samantha as usual’, Malcolm thought.

“She has a point…Dad”. He emphasized the label like it left venom on his tongue. “This plan puts Thea in danger, too!”

Malcolm dropped his shoulders. “Don’t you think I know that? I have contingencies. ARGUS won’t let the army win, and if Oliver loses we get Thea out.”

“Who the hell is ARGUS? And what do you mean if Oliver loses? This was supposed to be a way to protect him!” The darkness in Tommy’s eyes was something new in the man that came out of the Lazarus pit and a feature Malcolm had always wanted for his son but now found frightened him in its unpredictability.

But Malcolm refused to mistrust his own chess game, placing the pieces regardless of unexpected moves. “If he’s worthy of being saved he’ll win. Besides, Wilson’s army is not the biggest threat here. He needs this crucible to survive the next.”

“He should’ve killed you!” Tommy screamed at his father as Malcolm turned his back to him.

“He did!” Malcolm turned and threw back with just as much loathing.

“Alright, enough!” Samantha walked towards the men. “What is the greater threat, Malcolm?”

The Magician grinned. “The League. Sara’s presence in Starling means that Ra’s has eyes here. Moira somehow managed to tell him I’m alive so I’m not surprised Nyssa came looking for her. Sarab is probably here, too.”

“Your assumption is correct, Al-Saher.”

Samantha and Tommy jerked their heads towards the man at the warehouse door. He had entered silently, something that Samantha noted to look into later.

“I am surprised to see Miss Darkh as part of your plan.”

Something in his voice seemed familiar, but Samantha couldn’t place it. “Do I know you?”

The assassin removed his mask before replying, “Yes.”

“Maseo?” Samantha’s jaw dropped. He was one of HIVE’s greatest steals from ARGUS. He was one of her father’s most trusted. For him to be here, to see her with Malcolm, to be in League gear – her mind sped forward through every worst case scenario until a hand settled on her forearm. Malcolm’s hand she saw as she looked down.

“He’s with us,” He told her quietly, gently even, as if he knew where her mind had gone.

Maseo stepped forward before speaking. “One of your father’s secret operations is to infiltrate the League. I volunteered in order to come to terms with who I have become. Damien gave me a biochemical weapon to share with Ra’s. He’ll be looking for an heir soon and it will be useful. This was meant to buy my way in without any of the brainwashing, so I could feed Damien information.” He sighed before continuing, “There is so much more at stake here. But I do owe Oliver a debt.”

Malcolm slid his hand up to Samantha’s shoulder, prompting her to look at him. “Maseo will be our way to manipulate the pieces into play. This is a long con, Samantha. Something that I am very good at.” He smiled. “Trust me.”

Samantha groaned and shrugged off Malcolm’s hand. “I would be more likely to trust you if you gave me a reason to. Like, I don’t know, explain what the hell the end game is. For me, it’s stopping my father – either by killing him or dismantling HIVE – I really don’t care anymore. But what is it for you? Taking down Ra’s? No, that wouldn’t be enough, he’d just have an heir to take his place. No, you probably want the League for yourself. Is that what this is about, manipulating me and my daddy issues to get the world’s greatest assassin army for yourself?” Samantha had stepped into Malcolm’s personal space as she spoke, stopping within a breath of his face.

Malcolm huffed out a laugh, making Samantha self-conscious of their proximity as his breath hit her face. But she wasn’t going to back down. She was tired of the games.

“Actually, that’s exactly what I want.”

Samantha blinked, surprised by his answer. “What?”

“But this isn’t about using you, Samantha. I’ll lead the League and you’ll lead HIVE.” Malcolm placed his hands on her shoulders and leaned forward to whisper in her ear, “And we’ll rule the world together.”

Samantha cleared her throat to find her voice. “I don’t want to rule the world, I just want to keep my sister safe.”

Malcolm took a step back to look at her. “What better way than to be the one in charge?”


	8. Self-loathing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nearing the end of the events of season 2.

“He kidnapped Thea, how can we still be working with him?” Tommy yelled at his father. Slade Wilson had made himself known to the world in a big way and no one in the Merlyn warehouse was happy about it.

“Sometimes the players make moves they’re not supposed to,” Malcolm yelled back. “But kidnapping her and hurting her are two different things. She was off limits for injury, not for use as leverage.”

Though his justification was faulty to both Samantha and Tommy the argument ended there.

But when Slade killed Moira Queen in front of her children, Malcolm was fuming. He called in Maseo to ensure the League was willing to back up Oliver in the coming battle, but Sara had beaten him to it by offering herself in return for Nyssa’s support. Samantha wanted to jump in and help, too, but can’t alert Oliver to her presence without HIVE expecting him to return with her. Sitting against the wall of the dark, and she thought empty, warehouse she sighed, realizing she has to watch from the sidelines as mirakuru soldiers march on Starling City.

“Don’t worry, Samantha. This will work.”

She looked up surprised from her spot on the floor of the warehouse to find Malcolm walking towards her slowly. Running a hand through her hair she huffed and shook her head.

“I should be out there, protecting my sister. Not in here hiding.”

Malcolm gave her a half-smile and stopped to sit beside her. “That’s one of the things I like about you. Your tenacity and unwillingness to give up.”

Samantha raised an eyebrow and turned to look at him, not sure what his game was this time.

Malcolm chuckled. “It’s simply the truth.”

“I highly doubt you brought me into this because you like me. I was advantageous.” She was still looking at him, but as he turned to catch her gaze she couldn’t hold it and shifted her face to watch her own feet.

“Maybe at first,” he said softly. “But there is something about you that makes what needs to be done next almost difficult.”

“And what is that?” She almost gritted her teeth to ask the question, because with Malcolm nothing was ever easy or expected.

He sighed. “I need to leave for a while. I need to ensure Thea is safe and get her on board. It’s time my daughter had a chance of surviving in this world.”

Samantha allowed herself to look at him as the conversation continued. “So Tommy and I go with you?”

Malcolm shook his head. “No, I’ve given Tommy a choice. He can stay here with you, which I assume you will be doing so you can go back to stalking Miss Smoak and Oliver Queen and having delightful phone conversations with Damien,” he smiled as she chuckled. “Or he can reveal himself to the Canary and join the League to stay close to Maseo. He can receive more training that way, but he shouldn’t let anyone else know he’s alive yet. I can’t risk your father knowing.”

“Wouldn’t revealing himself to Sara Lance be a risk?”

“No, Ra’s and Damien are ancient enemies. And Sara has learned quite a bit about secrets the last 5 years. The League is probably the best hiding place for him, especially if you need to return to HIVE for any reason.”

“But you gave him a choice,” Samantha half-asked.

Malcolm nodded. “I did.”

After a beat of silence Samantha added, “Why?”

Malcolm turned away, seemingly hesitant to answer the question. “Because I’m curious as to whether he’ll choose you.”

Samantha pinched her eyes shut as she shook her head.”What?”

The man laughed a little to himself as he responded, “I may be a little jealous of how at ease you are around my son.” He grew serious as he continued, “I may not have been the best father, but I won’t deny you two a chance, if that’s what he wants.”

Samantha was stunned, having trouble finding words she opened and closed her mouth a few times before finally breaking the silence that followed the Magician’s revelation. “There’s nothing there, Malcolm. We’ve been training together for a year, we’ve bonded over our distrust of you and willingness to save Oliver, but he’s in love with Laurel.”

Malcolm nodded, “And you are stuck on Oliver.”

Samantha laughed, “No, there has never been anything with Oliver. If anything were to happen there it would have been in Russia a couple years ago, and then I even offered him up to my father to save my own ass after allowing the Bratva to think he owned me.”

Malcolm’s brow furrowed. “Then why save him now?”

Samantha sighed, “Because he’s linked to my sister. I’m here to save Felicity.” She paused, licking her lips before continuing. “But I also feel guilty when it comes to Oliver.”

Malcolm caught her gaze and she had to shake her head to break it. She sighed. “I don’t have the stomach for half the things my father has made me do. But I did them because I had to in order to protect my family. And he’s my father. Some part of me hoped that one day he’d stop being Damien Darkh and he’d be my father again.” She fought the burning in her eyes, mentally kicking herself for showing vulnerability, but if Malcolm was leaving and an army was attacking Starling, now was the time to simply let go. “That part of me died in Russia. I can’t live as only the part that does his bidding. Being Felicity’s sister is the only real part of me I have left, and that part wouldn’t give up another person to HIVE.” She turned to face Malcolm as the first tear slid down her cheek. “I have to fix my mistake before someone else suffers for it.”

He caught Samantha off guard as he cupped her cheek. “You remind me of my Rebecca.” Her mind went blank as his lips softly met hers.

The next half hour was a blur of mouths and limbs and moaning. Sex was a physical release Samantha usually took part in every few weeks with random men, and in that moment with Malcolm it carried an element of attachment she hadn’t felt in a very long time.

As she lay next to him on the edge of consciousness, their discarded clothing used in lieu of blankets and her shoulders aching from the concrete floor, she knew she didn’t fully trust the man beside her. And she couldn’t find it in herself to care. By aligning herself with the Magician her self-loathing felt justified, and she needed that guilt to drive herself to do the right thing. She wasn’t emotionally healthy and she had done horrible things, no man deserved to be stuck with her. But Malcolm, he deserved someone as broken and potentially self-serving as her. She could turn on him as easily as he could turn on her. She smiled and laughed to herself.

With her head on his shoulder and his arm around her he had felt her lips turn up and the huff of breath as she thought to herself. “Care to enlighten me as to what’s funny?” She realized he had begun to caress one of her shoulders as he spoke.

She looked up to his face before responding, “I was just thinking that we’re suited for one another.”

He snorted as he smiled, which made her huff out a giggle. He turned his head to look at the ceiling, his hand still stroking the bare skin of her arm.

“Because we’re both willing to do what it takes?” He almost whispered.

Samantha nodded and began tracing his chest with a finger. “Exactly,” she whispered back.

Malcolm’s hand stilled. “I won’t betray you, Samantha. I may make decisions you don’t agree with, but you are part of the long-term plan.”

“Because you need me. Because I’m my father’s daughter.”

Malcolm cleared his throat. “I won’t lie to you. Yes, because of who you are. And I mean that in more ways than just your connection to your father.”

Now Samantha stilled. They both turned to look at each other again. “That’s what I was thinking. No one deserves to be stuck with either of us. And so we’re stuck with each other.”


	9. Separation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're now at the end of Season 2 in the canonical timeline.

Tommy waited at the docks for Laurel and her father to leave, not wanting them to glimpse him boarding the ship that would carry Sara back to the League. Samantha had helped him get a message to the younger Lance before Slade released his army, but Sara only had enough time to talk to him on the phone, assuring him he wouldn’t be killed for coming with her and that she wouldn’t tell anyone he was alive. His role in the League and how she’d sneak him in still needed to be discussed, but he felt like Starling wasn’t home anymore and he wanted to learn more about who resurrected Tommy really was. He needed to be able to protect Laurel, and Thea, if their father didn’t ruin her first.

Tommy slipped onto the ship unnoticed and quickly found Sara, who introduced him to Nyssa - his ticket into the League. The women fill him in on his father’s association with the Demon’s Head, making Tommy wonder why Malcolm thought it’d be a good idea for him to make this journey in the first place. Surely Ra’s al Ghul would take the son in place of the father he could not catch? But maybe that was the Magician’s plan all along. The doubt swirled deeper and tighter in Tommy’s mind the more Sara and Nyssa talked. He felt rage he had never known before.

Nyssa assured the young Merlyn that her father would not need to know who he was, that she was allowed a student, and he would be grateful that her focus was off Sara. The look shared by the women when she said this was enough to soothe the rage in his heart – he was not the only one separated from peace. He was not the only one hurt by the world he had suddenly found himself a part of.

He told Sara what he knew about Samantha and her concern about Oliver. She perked up when he mentioned Felicity, so she filled Tommy in on what he’d missed the year he’d been ‘dead’. Oliver in love, and not with Laurel – Tommy’s heart lightened just a bit.

The summer was filled with training sessions and a lot of one-on-one time with Nyssa. She was an adept fighter and, though sheltered from what Tommy considered the real world, a rather decent companion. Sarab acted as a go between for communication with Malcolm and Samantha, but Tommy made sure to keep his distance as much as possible to avoid coming under the scrutiny of the Demon’s Head. Nyssa and Sara managed to keep him shadowed by the other League members, teaching him how to blend into Nanda Parbat and avoid being noticed.

As the months passed, Samantha was finding it harder and harder to keep Damien at bay. In late summer she sent a panicked message to Malcolm after a particularly heated phone conversation with her father. He knew Felicity was how the undertaking was half force, he knew she was the one who actually injected Slade and was the force behind the antidote being made, that she was the one who tracked the Count’s distribution (and survived being taken) – he wanted her, even if it meant giving up Oliver.

“Don’t worry, Samantha,” Malcolm spoke slowly over the phone, “we can combat this.”

“How, Malcolm?” Samantha’s voice was frantic. “He wants me to come in with Felicity. He threatened me! I’m dead if I don’t show! I can’t...” She cleared her throat and concentrated on steadying her breathing. “I can’t bring her in, and if I go alone it’s over.”

“No, it isn’t.” Malcolm spoke with confidence and certainty. “It’s time for Maseo to offer what you can’t.”

Samantha stopped breathing. “What is that?”

“A position in the League for Oliver.”

“No!” Samantha shouted as she clenched the phone, thankful that Malcolm had called while she was in the warehouse and not somewhere public. “I will not hand Oliver over to Ra’s al Ghul, that’s nearly as bad as my father!”

Malcolm sighed. “Samantha, your father and Ra’s are old enemies. Damien will see this as an opportunity to not only get a better trained Oliver Queen, but the League in the process. And if he knows that your sister is the key to Oliver being placed in the League’s sights, then he won’t want her to come in anymore.”

Samantha swallowed the lump in her throat. Once again this was getting out of hand, quickly. “How?” Her voice sounded meek and pinched.

“Leave that to me.” She could hear the smile in his voice. That meant this could not be good.


	10. Setting the board

Maseo hated himself sometimes. Thinking back to Hong Kong and how he had failed Akio, he knew that this state of self-loathing was his permanent setting. But sometimes he hated himself even more and it made him shrink into the shell of Sarab. Malcolm’s latest plan was one of those times.

Maseo made his way into HIVE for his regular check-in from the League, this time armed with an offer for Damien Darkh. He wasn’t expecting to see Samantha as he entered headquarters, but he shouldn’t have been surprised. She had been keeping her father at bay for months, he was bound to get tired of it.

‘This must be why Merlyn insisted I do this today,’ Maseo thought.

She was waiting outside her father’s office, her hands shaking slightly, almost unnoticeably, but her head was held high. Maseo caught her eye but didn’t hold her gaze. Noone knew that they knew each other and he had to keep it that way. He turned his back to her and nodded at Darkh’s secretary before knocking on the door.

“I said for her to wait!” Darkh shouted through the heavy wood.

Maseo cleared his throat. “It’s Maseo. I have something important.”

After a moment the electronic door lock beeped and Maseo entered Damien Darkh’s office.

The man was pacing by his desk, his hands gripping his fingers behind his back. He looked up as Maseo walked towards him. “What is it?”

“I have information on the assets in Starling City.”

Darkh lifted an eyebrow in challenge, “Do you now?”

Maseo nodded. “Agent Darkh has been working with Malcolm Merlyn, the Magician. He has plans for Oliver Queen, that’s why she’s been resistant to bring him in.”

Damien scowled at the seeming double cross so Maseo continued quickly, “The intel is that she was trying to get Merlyn for HIVE to take to Ra’s before bringing in Queen and your daughter.”

Damien frowned. “Samantha has been working on Merlyn?”

Maseo swallowed thickly and nodded, reminding himself that this is what Malcolm wanted Damien to know.

Damien furrowed his brow and nodded, prompting his agent to continue. “Her plan was flawed. I don’t think you’re going to get Miss Smoak without getting Queen out of the way. Especially now that they consider themselves Starling City’s guardians. I have new information on their relationship that will be of interest to you.” Maseo pulled an SD card from his pocket, handing it to his boss. As Darkh brought up the files on his computer, looking at candid shots of Oliver, Felicity, John Diggle, Roy Harper, Arsenal, the Arrow, the Canary, and even Nyssa al Ghul, the fact that his daughter had a new family became clear.

Maseo broke the quiet that had come over the room, “Agent Darkh lost sight of the prize when trying to gain your favor by catching Merlyn. But you can overcome it by giving Oliver Queen to the League with Merlyn.”

Damien stepped forward and pressed the intercom on his desk. “Send my daughter in.”

Samantha entered the office slowly, trying to ignore Maseo’s presence. The silence that followed her stopping in front of her father’s desk made her more nervous. When he turned to look her in the eye she couldn’t hold his gaze. He had a way of making her feel like she was 5 years old again.

“Is it true that you have been working with Malcolm Merlyn?”

Samantha couldn’t help but dart her eyes towards Maseo. ‘How did he know?’ She hadn’t discussed anything like this with Malcolm. Even after the intimacy they shared they were at odds most of the time, she had only told him she was coming in to give herself up and end this once and for all. She was quickly thinking through options. Something Malcolm had said before she hung up on him yesterday came back to her.

“I feel like there’s a weight on my shoulders I can’t shake, Malcolm. I have to turn myself in to HIVE.”

“Lies have weight, Samantha. Maybe you should try carrying around fewer of them. Tell your father the truth when you go in tomorrow, see what it gets you.”

Samantha sighed and closed her eyes. ‘The truth,’ echoing in her mind. “Yes,” she said tentatively.

When she opened her eyes her father was smiling at her. She opened her mouth but nothing came out.

He continued, “Why didn’t you tell me you thought you could bring in Malcolm as well? We could’ve worked on this together. Imagine the look on Ra’s al Ghul’s face when I tell him we have a means to the Magician!”

“I wanted to prove I’m not weak,” Samantha stuttered out.

Damien shook his head, his smile faltering. “But you are weak, Samantha. And it’s a shame that now you’ve taken too long. I’ll have to adjust my plans.” He used a hand to shoo his daughter towards the door. “I’ll take it from here. Go back to Starling and resume your watch on Oliver Queen. But cut your connection with Malcolm. I don’t want you near whatever the League will be doing.”

Samantha grimaced and nodded. “Yes, sir.”

After she left the room Damien turned to Maseo, “Tell me your plan.”

* * *

The ancient enemies stood among ruins of dust. A city they once called home but had long been scattered to ash. The men had warriors flanking them, but they were only for bravado, as each man had and could handle more if necessary. The Demon’s Head eyed Damien Darkh with an amused disdain, content with silence. As they took in one another twin smirks met their eyes.

After several moments Ra’s al Ghul relaxed his posture slightly before addressing the foe before him, “What is this meeting about, Damien?”

“Oliver Queen,” the man seemed to bellow in the quiet of the ruins.

Ra’s shook his head. “I don’t know who that is.”

Darkh smiled. “Ask your daughter.”

Without turning from the man in front of him the heir to the Demon was summoned, “Nyssa! Come here.”

The assassin made her way to the front of the ranks, bowing before her father as is custom. Motioning subtly for her to stand Ra’s asked, “Do you know Oliver Queen?”

“Yes, father. He was a lover of Sara Lance’s several years ago. He is the Arrow in Starling City. I have met him, fought beside him, fought with him.” Her lips curled up slightly at the last statement.

Darkh interrupted, “Isn’t Malcolm Merlyn in Starling City?”

The Demon turned to his daughter. “Does he work with Merlyn?”

Nyssa shook her head. “Not that I am aware of. Outwardly he appears to think as all of the city does, that the Magician is dead.”

Ra’s turned back to his former brother and current foe, “I had received word last year that Merlyn survived his fight with the Arrow. You’re telling me that this is true? And that the man who nearly killed him is Oliver Queen?”

Darkh huffed. “No, he did kill him. But he came back, as your kind tends to do.”

The Demon’s Head nodded. “Very well, we can have a private conversation, Damien.” The two men wandered 50 yards from their warriors, keeping a safe distance from one another, each with his hands behind his own back.

Looking back first to ensure their privacy had been maintained Darkh spoke quietly, “Oliver Queen was an asset I was pursuing until my eldest daughter got in the way. My youngest is a friend of Queen’s, works with the Arrow. As you can understand I want HIVE to stay in the family, and with my eldest showing weakness, I want to bring my youngest in. But she’s headstrong, full of fire. If you help me obtain her you can have Queen and Merlyn.”

Ra’s al Ghul’s amusement showed on his face. “Help you? Is one vigilante and a wayward daughter too much for you, Damien?”

Damien grinned. “I’ve heard about your daughter’s beloved. You will be seeking a new heir, will you not?”

Ra’s cleared his throat. “I am not looking to hand off my title any time soon.”

“Doesn’t mean you can’t set up the blood line now, brother.”

Ra’s smiled. “Calling me brother again after all this time? You really do want my help.”

Damien shook his head, his tone turning serious again. “If you send Sara Lance to investigate Malcolm Merlyn’s presence in Starling City, he will make bad decisions. Those decisions will lead to you and Oliver Queen crossing paths. If he becomes your heir and Son of the Demon it will crush my daughter’s heart and she will finally turn to HIVE. You will have a strong warrior and father for your grandchildren, and I will have the daughter I lost back.”

Ra’s nodded, contemplating the offer. “If he is as good as he is claimed to be, he will not agree easily. And there is the matter of the prophecy.”

Damien grinned again. “I have no complaints if you end up killing him instead. Just as long as my daughter is not harmed…permanently.”

“I must look into this myself. See if Queen is worth pursuing.”

Damien nodded. “Of course, brother.” As the men went their separate ways Darkh smiled to himself. He knew the temptation to get Merlyn would be too much for Ra’s to resist.

When Maseo alerted Malcolm that the League was in the game, he prepped the votura for Thea and planned his short trip from Corto Maltese to Starling and back. That it was Sara Lance that had been sent for him was unfortunate, but Malcolm could not let his plan waver now. If anything it allowed him more leverage over Oliver, and he was going to use it, even if Samantha and Tommy hated him for it.


	11. Poker face

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Covering season 3 quickly because it was a lot of watching and waiting on Samantha and Tommy's parts

When the Canary is killed by three arrows in the chest while on League business, Samantha wishes she had simply given herself over to HIVE. She sends word to Tommy via Maseo and isn’t surprised when Nyssa and Tommy show up in Starling City. Tommy watches from the shadows as Nyssa confronts Oliver in the basement of his old club. He thinks to himself that he’s learned a lot from Malcolm and the League if he can come and go without anyone noticing. So he does – watching as they learn the truth about what his father did to Thea. He refuses to meet with his father even though they’re both in Starling again as Nyssa comes and goes, her loyalties wavering between her beloved and her home.

Tommy spends most of his time not watching Team Arrow with Samantha, working out the details of her guilt over associating with the Magician – which he finds was more intimate than he knew - and coming to terms with the inevitable future. The League was going to be a problem they couldn’t stand in front of. They had to trust Oliver was strong enough and that Malcolm really was the genius mastermind he claimed to be. Samantha keeps up with her calls to Donna in Vegas but loses track of Felicity, knowing that Tommy would alert her if something was amiss. He calls her excitedly about something called a Flash, but nothing else gets through until Maseo's message about Ra’s killing Oliver on a mountain top.

He says Malcolm has a plan to work around this unexpected hurdle, but he doesn’t offer her anything to hold out hope that it involves Oliver coming back. She has to break the news to Tommy, who flees to Nanda Parbat, waiting for an opportunity to take down the Demon’s Head himself. Convinced that Malcolm’s plan hadn’t worked Samantha returned to HIVE to tell her father they had lost an asset she was supposed to be watching over. He was going to ask for Felicity, and she knew it deep in her soul that she had failed her sister. But when she walked into her father’s office and told him that the League had killed Oliver Queen, he didn’t even flinch. He simply nodded and told her to get some rest.

She returned to the scarcely furnished apartment she had left behind nearly 2 years ago, dust-free thanks to the weekly cleaning service vetted by her father's organization, and allowed herself to cry. She couldn’t call her sister to see how she was handling Oliver’s death, and she couldn’t get in touch with Tommy to mourn together. She embraced her solitude and self-loathing.

The Arrow’s televised return against Brickwell 3 weeks later quickly led to Damien escorting his eldest daughter to a plane that would take them both to Starling. He said they were going to protect Felicity since the League would be coming again for the one who survived the Demon’s sword, but as the weeks passed his real plan became clear.

Damien and Samantha Darkh met Maseo, dressed in his full League gear, in the dark corner of a parking garage in downtown Starling. The cliché aspects of the meeting made her roll her eyes, but her father did always have a flair for the dramatic. She remained silent, watching and listening as the men traded notes on the current situation, until something Maseo said caught her attention, “Thea Queen turned Malcolm Merlyn over to Ra’s.”

“The League has Merlyn?” Damien huffed out a laugh. Samantha held Maseo’s gaze as he answered in a measured, practiced tone.

“Yes, but Oliver Queen and John Diggle came to Nanda Parbat to rescue him.”

Based on his tense posture, Samantha could tell that her father was holding something back as he continued, “And how did that work out for them?”

“Ra’s let them all go.”

Samantha’s face showed her surprise, but she noticed that her father only looked pleased. Despite her hesitation she broke the silence. “That’s odd, isn’t it?”

Her father shook his head and laughed. A sound she hadn’t heard since Felicity was little. “Not really since he’s planning on Oliver becoming his heir. The fact that he has Merlyn within his reach means my plan is working perfectly.”

Samantha’s brow furrowed. “Plan?”

Still smiling her father answered her while using his hand to dismiss her question, “Maseo provided me information I needed to offer Ra’s Oliver Queen and Malcolm Merlyn. Once Felicity is heartbroken she’ll be easy to bring on board. Long lost daddy coming back just as her lover is taken from her. Perfect really.”

Sensing Samantha’s ignorance of Malcolm’s plans Maseo spoke up before she could say anything to bring Damien's focus to her, “Ra’s did make him that offer, it’s why I’m in Starling. Nyssa has left the League in protest and we are encouraging Oliver Queen to come with us.” Maseo sighed. “But he isn’t cooperating. I’ve been asked to target Miss Smoak.”

“Absolutely not!” Damien roared at his agent.

Maseo shook his head. “Your deal with Ra’s was no permanent harm. I’m supposed to injure, not kill.”

Damien sighed. “Very well then, we’ll take her from the hospital. Maybe that will speed up the League’s procurement of Queen as well.”

“What? No!” Samantha stepped between the two men, eyeing her father angrily.

Damien sighed. “It’s done, Samantha. I want you back at headquarters. There’s a lot of paperwork to do and you should get used to doing it.”

“You can’t have Felicity. Or Oliver.” She took a step towards her father but remained out of arm’s reach, she knew what he was capable of. That didn’t stop him from trying though. Just as he stepped forward so that the hand he shot out towards her throat could reach her a knife embedded in his palm.

Grasping his injured hand to his chest a deep version of Tommy’s voice echoed from the shadows. “Leave Darkh. She said she’s done.”

“Maseo, call off your League dog!” Damien hissed.

“It’s not League, and there’s definitely more than one of them,” Maseo responded, knowing that it was just Tommy but hoping to get his boss out of there without breaking his cover.

Damien backed up slowly as Samantha made her way towards the shadows where she knew Tommy was standing. Maseo also made to leave, moving slower than the HIVE leader so he could double back to the other two without being seen.

The trio quietly made their way to a safer location before sharing notes. Samantha broke the silence first, “Thank you, Tommy.”

The corner of his lips quirked up. “Just trying to keep as many allies alive as possible.”

Samantha turned to Maseo. “Looks like I’m done at HIVE.”

Maseo nodded. “I thought you’d like to know that Malcolm is the one who gave me the information I gave your father. He plotted the League’s involvement in HIVE getting your sister.”

As the anger boiled up in Samantha’s veins Tommy shook his head. “So I should’ve killed him while Ra’s had him strung up in Nanda Parbat, huh?”

Maseo tilted his head and sighed. "He's also how I was able to save Oliver after his duel with Ra's. He has a greater plan, but I only know my part in it. And my time in this is almost at an end."

Samantha clenched her jaw. “Where is dear old Malcolm?”

Tommy sighed, “At Thea’s, recovering. But we have bigger problems, don’t we, Sarab?”

The man nodded. “I have to do as I was told, or at least appear to.”

Samantha sighed and glared at Maseo. “If your time is coming to an end then you can risk missing her." After he bowed his head in acknowledgment she turned towards Tommy. "Let’s see if we can get in to see your dad. I need to know what to expect from here on out.”


	12. Acceptance

Watching from the building across from the balcony of the Queens’ loft, Samantha and Tommy waited until it was empty except for Malcolm Merlyn. They used a grappling arrow to reach the balcony doors and made their way inside. Without hesitating Samantha tilted the couch, throwing the injured Magician to the ground and startling him.

She couldn’t help but smirk in satisfaction at the pained way he held himself.

“Are you here to kill me? Thea is certainly taking her time to do it.” Malcolm smirked, trying to hide that they had surprised him.

Tommy scoffed and sat down at the kitchen island, letting Samantha have her say.

“I learned something very interesting as I burned my bridges with HIVE.” Samantha’s statement got Malcolm’s attention as he remained sitting on the floor. “You helped my father plot to give Oliver to the League and break my sister’s heart.”

“Your father would’ve killed you without hesitating, Samantha. I saved you.”

“Why? Why save me at the cost of everyone else?”

“Because you are meant to be my wife! We are meant to rule the world together!” Malcolm’s outburst startled himself. “The League and HIVE, under our thumbs,” he added calmly.

Tommy chuckled from his spot behind Samantha. “That is the worst proposal I have ever heard. ‘Hey I just setup your sister for a lifetime of grief, now pretend you like me.’”

Malcolm tried to roll his swollen eyes. “Not helping, Tommy.”

“Didn’t intend to.”

Malcolm sighed as Samantha glared at him from behind the couch. Turning his attention back to her he slowly attempted to rise to his feet. “Aren’t you the one who said we deserve each other?”

She shook her head and walked over to Tommy to avoid the temptation of helping Malcolm up from the floor. She kept her back to him, ignoring his grunts of pain, as she leaned on her elbows on the kitchen island.

“He’s better than he’s letting on,” Tommy whispered, his eyes glued to his father.

Samantha nodded. “I know. He may not have planned this exactly, but he knew what pushing Thea and Oliver could do. He wouldn’t let himself get killed, at least not without a contingency.”

“Are you talking about me?” Malcolm had finally gotten himself into a sitting position on the couch, his back to them.

“We’re debating whether we want you at our wedding,” Tommy yelled back immediately.

Samantha smirked as Malcolm moaned in pain when he snapped his head quickly around. She couldn’t see his face but she knew he was glaring at his son.

“Ooh, I don’t think he likes that idea,” Tommy said in a low voice, quirking his eyebrow at Samantha.

She swallowed thickly, trying to decide what she wanted to do next. She couldn’t deny she felt something for Malcolm, but how much of it wasn’t loathing and disgust she was uncertain.

Tommy winked at her, a small glimpse into the Tommy Merlyn that existed before this one was born of the pit, before he continued goading his father, “This isn’t how you wooed Mom is it? Telling her what she was going to do and then handing people she cares about over to secret societies of assassins?”

As Malcolm faced forward again Tommy stood and slowly walked towards the couch, his tone serious. “Because that isn’t going to work. No matter how hardened and broken this woman may think she is, this beautiful woman I might add,” he said quickly with a glance towards Samantha. “She deserves to decide how she feels and then act on it appropriately. You have something to offer her? Good. Then offer it. Don’t hide behind riddles and ambiguous promises.” He stopped a step behind the couch his hand on the handle of his sword, leaving room in case his father decided to take action against him. “She’s stronger than you give her credit for. If you want her as your partner, then treat her as one.”

Samantha involuntarily held her breath. The room was silent for several moments before Malcolm spoke quietly. “You’re right. Perhaps the unexpected hurdles I’ve faced are a sign that I’m going about this differently than I should.”

Malcolm turned around to face his son. “Tommy, can I have a moment with Samantha please.”

Tommy laughed, “I only leave when she asks me to.”

Samantha stood up and turned, leaning her back against the kitchen island, gripping the edge behind her with both hands. “Whatever you have to say can be said in front of Tommy. He’s as much a part of this as we are.”

Malcolm stood and made his way slowly towards Samantha, only stopping when she held her hand up to signal he’d come close enough. Tommy noticed he was nervous and almost called him on it, but the look on Samantha’s face stopped him. She seemed anxious. Tommy shook his head at the scene befitting a teen drama in front of him and wondered if this was how it would be when he finally saw Laurel again.

Malcolm cleared his throat. “I wasn’t expecting Ra’s to kill Oliver. But Sarab was in position to save him, so it worked out. I may have underestimated your father when it comes to that, as well as the impact of my influence on Thea. I’m not perfect, Samantha.” She scoffed, opening her mouth to say something but Malcolm held up his hand, stopping her. “I know I’m not perfect,” he continued. “But I have to pretend to be, to stay in control of the situation. Surely you can understand that?”

Samantha nodded and Malcolm released the breath he had been holding. She processed action better than emotion so she dove into the heart of the visit, “Ra’s is going to make an attempt on Felicity. My father is not pleased, so it seems that the alliance between HIVE and the League, as tenuous as it was to begin with, is no more. The League is also after Nyssa and plan on taking Oliver.”

Malcolm nodded, “Then it’s time we came out of the shadows so we can protect your sister.”

Samantha smiled, “Actually Maseo, Sarab, whatever he’s going by right now, he’s the one tasked with making a move on Felicity. So she’s safe, for now. But when he misses, Ra’s will try to find another way to get to Oliver.” She sighed before reaching out for one of Malcolm’s hands. “Thank you, though, for being willing to set aside the plan to protect her.”

Malcolm nodded. “Your sister is a lot like you, you know. She’s grown on me.” At Samantha’s frown his lips quirked up painfully. “But not like how you’ve grown on me,” he said as he squeezed her hand.

Tommy cleared his throat, “Well not quite a proposal but I guess there’s still time for that. If we survive and all,” he added with a shrug. “Dad, just one thing.” Malcolm looked at his son as he dropped Samantha’s hand. “No more lies.”

Malcolm looked at both of them as he responded, “Not between the three of us.”

Samantha nodded and looked at both men, “So what do we do next?”


	13. A bad hand

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What happens in the shadows at the end of season 3

Police interference and Thea being attacked by Ra’s was not part of Malcolm’s plan. Instead of hiding behind bravado and a cat-like ‘I meant to do that’ Malcolm allowed his vulnerability to show, and Samantha had to admit that as flawed as the Magician was, he loved his children in his own way. Oliver once again deferred to Malcolm for a plan. ‘If only he knew that Malcolm was ultimately behind this,’ Samantha thought to herself as she watched the purple smoke fade into the sky over downtown Starling.

Tommy made a quick departure to Nanda Parbat in hopes of arriving before Team Arrow, his father, and their precious cargo. Samantha was unhappy about Felicity joining them on the trip, but Malcolm assured her that he and Tommy would break the plan if necessary to keep her safe.

Tommy’s heart broke as Thea emerged from the pit like a wet demon, and again as he watched Oliver say good-bye to his team, his friends, his family outside the League’s stone walls. His father gave him a slight nod of recognition as he left, a reminder that he was tasked with assisting Sarab in keeping Oliver sane for as long as possible. As a tear made its way down Oliver’s cheek, Tommy shook his head - Felicity had almost gotten him out, even ordered Malcolm around. She really was a lot like her sister.

When Al-Sahim went to Starling City Tommy stayed behind in Nanda Parbat, trying to determine what Ra’s was up to. It wasn’t good, the timeline for Oliver’s integration moving much faster than Malcolm had expected. As Oliver returned with Nyssa in tow, Samantha sent word that Thea had left Starling City. She wasn’t certain why, but she had watched Felicity talking to the younger woman through the loft’s balcony windows just before she left, so it was most likely safe. Tommy breathed a sigh of relief knowing that his sister was being cared for and that Oliver had done no permanent harm to his friends as Al Sahim.

That relief vanished as he watched Laurel and the others captured. Sarab was dead, so Tommy slipped Malcolm the vaccine strips, struggling with the urge to show himself. His father insisted with a stern look that things were still on track. Tommy clenched his jaw and retreated into the shadows again. He left before Oliver’s wedding, the sham that it was, wondering what it was with big bads and their desire for odd couplings. He had been assured that Malcolm had an exit strategy, he just needed Tommy to fill in Samantha and prepare for the bioweapon.

But when Tommy arrived in Starling City he caught Samantha in flee mode. Damien Darkh had left, probably because he knew about the attack the League would be carrying out. Felicity being in Nanda Parbat had worked to their benefit because she wasn’t there for him to take. But this left another problem. He’d be going for Donna.

So Samantha left for Vegas as Tommy watched and waited. He smiled as he watched Laurel in strappy black leather walk into Palmer Tech with the rest of the team she’d become a part of. He was proud of her, and sad that he had missed so much. He caught the shadows scaling the building out of the corner of his eye. He knocked his bow but recognized them as Nyssa and Oliver before drawing back. That was his cue to change observation posts.

Tommy kept in touch with Samantha throughout the League’s attack on Starling, so she knew Oliver and Felicity had left the city after Ra’s was killed. They were safe though, he assured her. He was in Nanda Parbat, where Malcolm had become Ra’s al Ghul. And he was finally out of the shadows, at least to the League. Nyssa told him that Laurel still spoke fondly of him, and he wished not to ruin the memories she kept close. And Oliver was happy, why bring an old friend back from the dead now?

After ensuring Donna’s safety somewhere far from Vegas and checking that her father had not yet returned to Starling, Samantha made her way to the strange stone palace, seeking out Malcolm. On the path she was greeted by two League members, their swords drawn.

Samantha stood tall, tensed and on guard. “I’ve come to see Malcolm Merlyn, the Magician.”

“There is no one here by that name,” the response was muffled by the mask but clear. She couldn’t tell which one had answered her so she continued to stare at the space between them and cleared her throat.

“Ra’s al Ghul. I’m here to see the head of the League of Assassins.” She spoke strongly, a wave of pride at her lack of nervousness.

The men still didn’t move, but they hadn’t responded either. Samantha rolled her eyes. “You can tell him Samantha Darkh is here.”

Tommy’s voice came from behind them. “She’s okay to pass. She’s expected!”

The men finally stepped aside, allowing Tommy to greet Samantha with a smile. “Sorry,” he greeted her as he flung an arm over her shoulder and pulled her down the path. “I was watching for you and then Nyssa started in on Dad again so I had to play mediator.”

“What’s going on with Nyssa and Malcolm?”

Tommy sighed. “Ohh, besides becoming the Demon’s Head in her place? He hasn’t annulled her marriage to Oliver yet.”

Samantha stopped and turned towards him. “Why not?”

Tommy laughed and tugged her shoulders to get her walking again. “He says he’s waiting for you. Something about it being uncouth to annul a marriage without having another in its place.”

Samantha sighed and shook her head. “He’s going to start on that again, isn’t he?”

Tommy brought his arm back towards himself and squeezed her shoulder nearest him. “I’ll stand by you if you say no. But it really wouldn’t be too bad having you as a step-mom.”

Samantha shrugged his hand off and smacked his chest lightly. “That makes me sound old.”

Tommy bit his lip but couldn’t help responding quietly, “Yeah because nearing 40 isn’t old.”

Samantha snorted while attempting not to smile, causing Tommy to miss a step in laughter. Watching him look so carefree, something he’d been missing since his resurrection, Samantha grinned as they walked beside each other to Malcolm’s chambers. Maybe joining his family wouldn’t be the worst decision she’s made.


	14. Alliance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A much needed conversation between Samantha and Malcolm in Nanda Parbat.

Tommy left Samantha at Malcolm’s door, assuring her that he’d be nearby if needed. Taking a deep breath she knocked.

“Enter.” Malcolm’s voice was clear, even through the heavy door.

The creaking of the door as it opened under her hand did nothing to steady her nerves, but the room she was entering was serene. The light of dozens of candles dulled and reflected off varying stone surfaces along the walls. Dark wooden furniture with dark colored upholstery created a sitting room just inside. The sun reflected through stained glass above a shuttered window to her left, garnering her attention and allowing her to ignore the figure standing to her right until he spoke.

“You can close the door, Miss Darkh.”

Samantha stopped herself from jumping but her breath caught in her throat. ‘Dammit,’ she thought to herself. ‘He can’t have the upperhand.’

She turned slowly towards Malcolm, her face schooled and neutral. “I thought we were on a first name basis, Malcolm?”

One side of his lips raised, changing his serious face into one of amusement. “I wasn’t certain since you left Starling before we were done with our plan.”

Samantha raised an eyebrow. “Tommy filled you in on why I had to leave, and I never kept my priorities a secret. Did it really surprise you that I followed my father out of the city?”

Malcolm’s smile faltered. “I thought we were in this together. So, yes, I was surprised you weren’t there when I returned. But more than that,” he paused, glancing at his feet quickly before re-establishing his gaze on her, “I was disappointed, Samantha.”

Samantha held the new Ra’s al Ghul’s gaze for several beats before allowing herself to take in his new look. A ring, a pendant, a thick jacket, a sword…all meant to intimidate simply by reputation.

Well she’d be damned if he’d intimidate her. “The Demon’s Head was disappointed with me? What kind of punishment does that garner these days?”

Still clasping his hands behind his back, Malcolm slowly stepped into Samantha’s personal space. Her mind was preparing for defense but she remained still, not wanting him to know he could get to her. She glanced away from his face as he brought his mouth to her ear. “The kind you’d enjoy.”

Samantha’s eyes were wide as she whipped her head around. ‘What?’ echoed in her mind and she found her mouth following suit.

Malcolm’s face held a tight-lipped smile at her confusion. “Close the door, Samantha. I’m not going to hurt you.” He tilted his head to the side as the corners of his lips pulled his cheeks up further. “Unless you ask me to.”

Samantha stood still. The idea that Malcolm was flirting with her, possibly even propositioning her, turned her mind soft. She took in all of his features quickly, her eyes attempting to catalog any hint of his intentions.

“I,” she stuttered and tried to center herself with a deep breath. “Wha…” she closed her eyes and sighed. Not opening them she tried again. “Malcolm, what do you want from me?” She opened her eyes to see amusement once again gracing his face. She stood up straight and let her voice come out strong and sure, “You already have the League, but HIVE and my father are still a problem. What’s the plan?”

Malcolm took a step back, seriousness returning to his features. “And here I thought you came to see me.”

Samantha’s brow furrowed. “I did come to see you. To discuss what’s next. My father will return to Starling City at some point. For now I have Felicity’s mom in a safehouse and reporting to me every 6 hours, but it’s only a stopgap measure. He will come for one of them eventually, or for me.”

Malcolm nodded. “Yes. But as you said, I have the League. It’s what I wanted. Close the door behind you as you leave.”

Samantha’s hands curled into fists as she watched Malcolm walk away into an adjoining room. She slammed the door shut and followed him. “What the hell, Malcolm? I knew I couldn’t trust you! You used me!”

Her anger had caused her to go blind to her surroundings, allowing Malcolm to grab her wrists and pin her to the wall just inside the doorframe of the room she had entered. “Just as you want to use me to get to your father?”

Samantha shook her head and tried to wriggle her hips free from Malcolm’s frame pressing her into the wall. “No, it’s about helping each other you son of a bitch!”

Their faces were close enough that every breath landed on each other’s cheeks, so when Malcolm spoke again Samantha breathed his words in. “That was when we were in this together. As you’ve made abundantly clear, you despise me. So why should we continue this game?”

Samantha stopped wriggling, taking a moment to think about Malcolm’s words. “Just walk away and be done with me,” he gritted out through his clenched jaw.

Once again Samantha found herself taking in his features. His tone and words finally dawning on her. “This isn’t a game to me, Malcolm.” She licked her lips and his hold on her wrists relaxed. “By being honest with me,” she whispered. 

“I thought I had been,” he whispered back, looking between her mouth and her eyes as he let her wrists go and leaned back to give her room to breathe. “You and Tommy are the only people in the world who know what is really going on.”

Samantha shook her head. “What just happened in the other room was you playing a game instead of being open. I was honest with my intentions and you got pissed at me.” She brought one hand up to his shoulder, giving it a light squeeze. “That can’t happen.”

Malcolm shrugged her hand off and took a step back before turning away from her. “You’re here to discuss what I promised you about HIVE.”

Samantha nodded. “I need your help with my father.”

“All we can do is wait for him to return to Starling and make a move. Then we can sneak up on him while he’s preoccupied with Oliver and Miss Smoak.”

“That’s it?”

Malcolm nodded without turning back towards Samantha. “I know you don’t like it, but it’s what we should do.”

Samantha huffed out a laugh. “It’s a decent enough idea as long as I have the backing of the League when the time comes to actually take him down. I just…”

Malcolm turned his head slightly at her pause. “You just what?”

Samantha smiled and shook her head. “I was expecting a different conversation. Tommy made it sound like you were going to talk about marriage again. Something you’ve mentioned several times but never explained, by the way.”

Malcolm squared his shoulders and walked over to the other side of the room. He removed his scabbard and outer jacket, laying them across a chair as Samantha took a moment to look around the room. She realized that they were in a small bedroom. ‘A bed would be really nice,’ she thought. So she stepped away from the wall and spoke up “Is there an extra room in this place where I can stay tonight? I’m exhausted from traveling and haven’t slept much the past few days.”

Malcolm sighed. “I had planned for you to stay here. With me. But I can have the room next to Tommy’s prepared for you.”

Samantha pinched her eyes shut opening them in time to catch Malcolm’s elbow as he tried to leave the room. She tilted her head and glared at him as he raised his eyebrow to question her move.

“Explain, Malcolm. Why were you planning on that?”

He turned to stare off into the sitting room as he answered, “Because I thought you coming to see _me_.”

Samantha’s brow furrowed in confusion, almost answering that they’d already been over this before it suddenly hit her what he meant. “Malcolm, look at me.”

He cleared his throat and met her gaze with a neutral mask.

“I’m going to ask this again, and I want the truth. What do you want from me?”

Malcolm turned his head back to the doorway before answering. “I want a partner to rule the world with. And I chose you.”

Samantha tugged on his elbow. “How?”

Malcolm turned his head to look at her again. “How did I choose you? You remind me of Tommy’s mother.”

Samantha smiled and shook her head. “No, how do we rule the world?”

Malcolm sighed. “I run the League. You run HIVE. Being married unites the two.”

Samantha let go of Malcolm’s elbow and took a few steps towards the bed. “Is it true you refused to annul Nyssa and Oliver’s marriage until there’s one to replace it?”

“That’s what I told Tommy, yes. But I did it more to watch Nyssa squirm.” A hint of amusement had returned to his voice, making Samantha chuckle.

She turned around and sat on the edge of the bed. “I can stay here with you tonight.”

At Malcolm’s questioning glare she continued, “And discuss what exactly you had in mind when it comes to being married.”

His lips twitched as he slowly walked towards the bed. “Just a League ceremony.”

Samantha curled her lips, “Just a League ceremony? No honeymoon?”

Malcolm chuckled, and Samantha swore he even blushed a little. “Whatever you have in mind can be done right here.”

Now Samantha felt the telltale warming of a blush on her cheeks. She cleared her throat and looked down at her feet. “I meant it when I said we deserve each other. We’re rotten human beings, Malcolm.”

He nodded as he sat on the bed beside her. “We’ve already caused enough misery. Why continue doing that to ourselves?” He took her hand closest to him and kissed her knuckles.

Samantha smiled at the gesture. “Would you look at that? The Demon’s Head being gentle.”

Malcolm leaned into her. “I don’t plan on being gentle,” he said before closing the distance to her lips with his.

A thought questioning her decision flitted through Samantha’s mind but quickly dissipated as the Magician’s hand found one of her breasts. Their previous time together had been heated and quick, desperation and distrust fueling their movements, the aim to reach completion. This time was about confirmation of the partnership they had established. Two years ago Samantha was desperately trying to prove her strength to her father. Now she had the head of the League of Assassins trying to prove _his strength_ to _her_. She knew she was going to hate herself at some point, but with his tongue in her mouth and his hand moving down her stomach from her aching breast to her tingling center she couldn’t find it in herself to care.

Laying in Malcolm’s bed several hours later, a sated calm filled Samantha’s mind. She could live a life like this. With him. Protecting Felicity and Donna, the people she truly loved. Even if it meant others, like her father, had to die.


	15. Joined

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Samantha is nervous before her wedding to Malcolm in Nanda Parbat

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nyssa and Tommy had a few things to say before the overlap with the Samantha Darkh fic. Those chapters will take a little longer to get out because I'm trying my very best to hold true to everything in that first fic. Also, because of the previews/trailers - I can now say definitively that it will be Season 4 canon divergent instead of Season 4 spec.

Samantha Darkh married the Demon’s Head a few weeks after arriving in Nanda Parbat. As the preparations were under way Tommy cracked jokes and seemed generally lighter than at any point Samantha had known him, teaching her the ins and outs of the League and showing her around Nanda Parbat. Malcolm also seemed less on edge. ‘Likely because his plan is coming to fruition,’ Samantha mused as she dressed in heavy, yet feminine, robes. The priestess had requested her hair be done up in a veil but Samantha refused, leaving the older lady to be one of the few currently sulking around the Demon’s chambers.

“I wore something very similar for the ceremony my father presided over, but I couldn’t get her to leave my hair alone.” Nyssa’s voice carried through the dressing room from the open doorway. Samantha’s eyes met hers in the full length mirror.

“Has Malcolm carried through with the annulment?”

Nyssa smiled. “Yes. Thank you.”

“I owe it to Oliver and my sister.” Samantha returned her smile. “So thank you for not being as set on League law as your father.”

Nyssa stepped into the room and closed the door, waiting for Samantha to turn towards her before speaking. “When you are ready I know where they are. They’ve been traveling extensively and I have trusted contacts ensuring your father does not yet approach them. I’m sure he’s been watching them as well. It would be foolish for him to give up so easily.”

Samantha nodded. “Thank you again, Nyssa.”

The assassin smiled wistfully, staring off past Samantha. “You are not the one who killed my beloved. And your sister was her friend. I owe it to her to ensure Malcolm Merlyn does not do any further damage, even indirectly through his war with your father.”

Samantha cleared her throat and bowed her head to avoid meeting the other woman’s gaze. “I should warn you about something.” Nyssa looked at her, tilting her head in question. Samantha swung her gaze around the room, uncertain of the reaction she was about to get. “Malcolm is planning to use the pit on Sara.”

Nyssa’s eyes widened, her jaw clenched as she swung around towards the door. Samantha rushed forward to stop her from opening it. “I don’t know when,” Samantha continued. “But I know it’s some part of his crazy idea to make things right. As far as I know Sara is still in her grave in Starling, so keeping watch there is your best chance of stopping him.”

Nyssa met Samantha’s eyes, which were imploring her to act cautiously. She nodded once in acknowledgment. “Thank you, Samantha. Please forgive my absence at your wedding.”

Samantha gave her a tight-lipped smile. “I understand completely.”

Not long after Nyssa’s exit Tommy knocked on the dressing room door to take Samantha to the Temple. The pair made their way in silence. Samantha was nervous. She didn’t understand why. She was lost in thought as they stood outside the double doors alone. “Ready?” Tommy’s voice made her jump. She cursed herself in her head for not being more composed. She’d been in life-threatening situations. Survived the Bratva, her father, and even Malcolm until they weren’t enemies. A little ceremony was overcoming her resolve? She shook her head before answering him.

“I don’t know what I’m doing,” she whispered.

Tommy squeezed her hand. “Like I said before, if you don’t want to do this, I won’t let him force you.”

Still staring at the door in front of her Samantha smiled. “I think the problem is that I do want to do this. I understand the reasoning. But I hate myself. For so many reasons. Being the Magician’s partner is just one of many. The fact that I understand him? What kind of person does that make me?”

Tommy used his free hand to turn her head towards him. “You are not like him, Sam. You can balance it out. All of it. And if he ever goes so far that it becomes you or him, I will be there to help you choose you.”

Samantha smiled and kissed Tommy’s cheek. “You know if I was a few years younger I’d be taken by that kind of charm.”

Tommy chuckled and turned back towards the door. “Nah, you’d fall for it just fine now if you weren’t about to be my mom.”

Samantha laughed nervously and smacked his shoulder before looping an arm around his offered elbow. “Oh my god that’s so creepy, Tommy.”

“Besides,” he continued as they took the final steps towards the door. “Our age difference isn’t as much as the one between you and him. So really, he’s the creepy one.”

Samantha had only a moment to laugh before the doors creaked open. The sight of the League on bent knee in the Temple, lit only by candles, made her swallow thickly. This was it. And at the end of the manmade aisle was her husband-to-be, grinning like the cat that ate the canary.

“Ready?” Tommy whispered in her ear.

Samantha nodded, not taking her eyes off Malcolm. “Yeah. Let’s do this.”

Tommy smiled as he led her forward to become the Bride of the Demon.


	16. Family

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter overlaps with Samantha Darkh, the first fic in this series. If you want to read about the Donna rescue, read Chapter 11-12 of that fic.

After the wedding, Samantha allowed herself to relax. Her life as Ra’s al Ghul’s wife was very simple - Malcolm gave her space and the League members kept their distance, respecting her place among them. Sometimes she and Malcolm would brainstorm the plan against her father, but they were hitting a dead end. It always came back to bringing Felicity in on what was going on, but she was happy and Samantha refused to ruin that until she absolutely had to.

When Nyssa called in Autumn to alert her to Oliver and Felicity’s return to Starling, Samantha knew her time to breathe was up.

Tommy had been watching Donna Smoak’s safe house just outside Starling since his father’s wedding. After ensuring that Samantha was joining with Malcom by her own choice, he wanted to give her the peace of mind to remain in her new home, at least until HIVE made an appearance. It also gave him an opportunity to observe Laurel.

He had had 2 years to think through the events leading up to his death. Feeling the anger and betrayal so intensely at first, the pit exaggerating the emotional pain. But with time he remembered the anguish on Oliver’s face when he found him in the rubble of CNRI. He heard secondhand the pain that Laurel had been through since. And his friends hadn’t even gotten back together. From Nyssa’s information they had a tense friendship, and Oliver had moved on – to Tommy’s step-mother’s sister. Tommy laughed to himself as he ran through the same self-reflection he always found himself indulging in when he stood alone in the dark.

His friendship with Samantha had been unexpected, but it had been needed. He would have been much closer to the assassin his father preferred if he hadn’t had a kind hand guiding him on his path. If her sister was anything like her, he knew Thea and Laurel had help staying on track, too. Even Nyssa was impressed with Felicity Smoak, and that told him a lot.

Samantha had returned to Starling after Oliver and her sister were drawn back by a strange set of attacks that were likely the work of Damien Darkh, but she hadn’t engaged them until Felicity called her. She confirmed that their father was in Starling. Tommy was patient – he would wait this out as long as needed. Malcolm had been alerted that it was time to come up with a plan and was likely on his way to Starling – the new Ra’s wouldn’t leave his bride to fight this alone.

A movement in the shadows grabbed Tommy’s attention as he slowed his breathing and melted against the brick wall of the alley where he stood watch. Three men were scouting the safe house. ‘Show time,’ Tommy thought to himself, poising his hand over his knives in case the men were violent towards the woman Tommy Merlyn was there to protect.

He noticed additional men on surrounding rooftops and a surveillance van on the street. He wouldn’t be able to call Samantha and warn her that it was happening, this show was all his. He heard the loud thud of the door being taken down and the yelp of surprise from the woman within. Tommy quickly changed vantage points to watch through a window and readied his bow. The men were rough, but not aggressive, so Tommy blended into the shadows and followed them as they transferred the scared woman to a warehouse not far from the Green Arrow’s lair. Tommy smiled to himself, this was going to be easier than any of them thought.

As he made his way to his hiding spot in the lair, he saw his father and Samantha standing opposite Oliver, Thea, and John Diggle. Felicity taking them on from her computer chair, not taking the idea of having Malcolm Merlyn as her brother-in-law well.

“So you joined up with a mass murderer?”

“I’m in no position to judge,” Samantha answered.

Tommy watched his father place a hand on Samantha’s forearm, he hadn’t seen him this gentle towards someone since before his mother died. “Truth be told, Ms. Smoak, your sister is the one who convinced me that I may have been a bit too heavy handed in my approach to cleansing the city. And she convinced me to reconnect with my daughter.”

Thea huffed, “Which can also be described as heavy handed.”

Tommy smiled at his sister’s remark, waiting for a chance to interrupt.

Malcolm nodded. “Point taken.”

Felicity shook her head, swiveling her chair to face the room. ‘The ringmaster at the circus,’ Tommy thought.

“Okay, so what do we do to get my mom back and make sure my dad, unlike Thea’s, actually pays for his crimes.”

Before anyone else could continue the argument Tommy spoke up. “I know where they are.”

As Team Arrow stood dumbstruck Malcolm smiled and Samantha fidgeted, stating slowly, “Oh did I forget to mention I also helped someone else that night?”

And then Laurel entered the room and Tommy heard nothing else going on around him. He wasn’t hiding any more. Everyone he loved would know he was alive, what he’d had to do to come back to them. He hadn’t planned this, he had simply followed through on his promise to Samantha. But now it was happening – Laurel’s hand was on his cheek and her eyes watery. “But how?”

He couldn’t hold in the smile, or the smartass remark. “You should ask my new stepmother.”Laurel’s confused look made him snort. “I’ll give you the abridged version after we get Felicity’s mom back.”

The plan went down flawlessly. Now Malcolm was headed back to Nanda Parbat with Damien as Samantha sorted through the HIVE systems to decide which agents were going to be a problem, Felicity and her mom were catching up at the townhouse, and Tommy was sitting in a booth at Big Belly Burger next to Laurel, Oliver and Thea smiling at them from across the table. He had been resurrected from death more than 2 years ago, but for the first time since Tommy Merlyn felt alive.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There will be one more chapter (I think), as I plan on Tommy and Laurel reconnecting.


	17. In time

Tommy lay in bed, lost in thought. He felt different, content. He wasn’t sure if it would last, but he knew that feeling anything was a step or two above being dead. He held onto the emotions, savoring them and the warmth of the body beside him as the early morning sunlight began filtering through the curtains of Laurel’s bedroom. ‘It could be our bedroom,’ he thought.

“Hey, you okay?” Laurel’s voice was raspy from sleep as she held Tommy’s jaw, stroking his cheek with her thumb.

He smiled and slowly gripped her wrist to hold her in place as he kissed the palm of her hand. “Never been better.”

She smiled broadly with a light chuckle. “Still a flirt, Merlyn?”

“Only for you,” he said quietly as he leaned towards her to capture her lips with his. Gently he eased back so she could see his face and quirked an eyebrow. “Especially if you keep going around wearing black leather.”

Laurel giggled as Tommy rolled them over, laying his weight on his elbows on either side of her head. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d felt this free, this happy. Over the weeks since Tommy’s return they’d fallen back into each other. Cautiously at first, and then last night the natural gravitation between them made it seem like they hadn’t been disrupted by the events surrounding the Undertaking at all. But there were still old demons that could snatch at her from the shadows. “So you’re okay with me running around at night with Ollie?” She asked seriously.

Tommy mirrored her tone, ensuring she understood that he took her question and worries as seriously as she did. “I know that it’s so much more than that, Laurel. You have a team of people, friends, family behind you. It wouldn’t be fair, or right, for me to ask you to leave that. I want to be a part of your life, to know you, who you are now. As long as we’re honest with each other about what that is, what we are, who we are…”

Laurel opened her mouth to speak but he stopped her lips with his. Tangling their tongues and bringing a moan from the back of her throat before quickly pulling away and continuing, “I know we’ve been through a lot, you’ve been through a lot, everyone in our lives has. I’m not expecting easy. I’m not planning on giving in easily either.”

Tommy smiled and wiped a tear from her face as she closed her eyes to nuzzle his hand. “I love you, Laurel. I never stopped. Even when I came out of the water, I knew I was missing something. Samantha kept me updated on you. All this time, I never thought I’d have this again. I was sure you’d move on.”

“Never, Tommy.” Laurel shook her head. “I mean I tried, but I loved you with everything I am and I screwed it up.” She laughed lightly, a smile pulling at her lips as she held Tommy’s hand to her face. “I love you, Tommy. And I missed you so much.”

Tommy leaned back, raising himself up on his knees to take in Laurel’s naked body below him. His hand lightly traced along one side of her body, causing her breath to catch. He caught and held her gaze. “How much did you miss me?” He whispered.

Laurel gently stroked his thigh, moving her hand slowly up towards his chest. “Let me show you?”

And Tommy Merlyn knew then, he would be alright, in time.


End file.
